Resources and equipment to help you get started podcasting. SOUND EDITOR
• Adobe Audition • Audacity • Reaper Digital Audio Workstation
PODCAST SITE SYNDICATION • Google Play Radio • iTunes • Stitcher
Source: Florida REALTOR® Magazine, May 2017
means of outreach. They also build relationships between the two parties. Entrepreneurs who make use of podcasts can hone their messages and tailor them perfectly to fit the needs of their listening audience. Audiences can, in turn, keep themselves up-todate with information directly provided from the business they enjoy following. Whether a business is providing their audience with a podcast about real estate, newly-released books or even a subject like fishing, the format allows them to communicate in a way that builds their brand. For real estate-related content, podcasts are rising in popularity to demonstrate expertise in the industry. A quick glance through PlayerFM’s home page previews a number of podcasts and topics, ranging from investing to marketing to coaching to rental income. Real estate industry experts utilize podcasts to educate and inform their stakeholders, persuade consumers, and sell their service—whatever side of the industry they’re on. In fact, 64 percent of consumers prefer podcasts at the top of the sales funnel, according to the 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report. Whatever the subject, a regular stream of podcasting content keeps your audience engaged and ensures they stay tuned in to your business. As Steve and Nicole Arnold, the creators of the podcasts “Great Contemporaries” and “Abstract Art by Nicole,” state, “podcasting enables entrepreneurs to craft a message directed exclusively to their audience.” Podcasting cuts out this middle-man, so to speak, and gives you the chance to communicate to your audience in any way that you want. Though this provides entrepreneurs with enormous control over their content, they must never take their audience for granted. To really build your brand and connect with your audience, you need to keep them invested by talking about things they want to hear about. Podcasts should focus on a consistent theme while avoiding repetition and, perhaps most importantly, relate a brand to the audience’s daily life.
Costs & Equipment One of the most advantageous aspects of podcasts relative to other formats for
consumer outreach is how simple and cheap they are to set up. Anyone who is willing to set one up can do so. Whereas videos often require green screens, a cameraman and sometimes a move to a different area, podcasts really only demand that you buy a microphone and have access to a computer. Virtually all podcast owners agree, though, that the microphone needs to be highquality. Muffled audio or background crackling detracts from your audience’s immersion and may even make it annoying for them to listen. Fortunately, high-caliber microphones don’t have to break your bank account. Some of the best options, recommended by seasoned podcaster Albert Costill, can be obtained for less than one hundred dollars, such as the Samson Meteor and MXL990. Once you’ve bought the microphone that you need for a great recording, you simply need to connect it to your computer and start recording. After you’ve obtained the audio file, you should visit an audio hosting site such as Libsyn (Liberated Syndication) or SoundCloud in order to upload it to the internet. Once that has been accomplished, you can post your podcast to your website and start to promote it. It may be smart to make the podcast available on streaming services like iTunes. Not only will it publicize your podcast, but it’ll also make it easier for your audience to listen and subscribe to it.
Be Prepared As with any undertaking, prospective podcast hosts need to be aware of the potential problems that could hinder their mission. One of the most common issues that people have, when they begin a podcast, involves a lack of preparedness. Just one podcast takes a considerable amount of time to make sure that it is ready. After all, even if you do not write a full script, you will want at least a basic roadmap of your plan for the program. Questions such as: “What are you going to say to the audience?” and “How can I relate my brand and mission to their life?” should be answered in advance of the recording. Should you fail to take sufficient time beforehand to plan your podcast, you run the risk of having to record the ncrealtors.org • INSIGHT 23
